Cleaning device



1934. H. w. HUNTER 1,969,609

CLEANING DEVICE Filed April 17, 1933 Jig 027269;.

use. Another object is the provision of a mop Patented Aug. 7, 1934UNITED STATES" PATENT," OFFICE 6 Claims.

My invention relates to an improvement in mops or cleaning devices andhas for one purpose the provision of a mop or cleaner which shall besimple in operation, and convenient in with which may be employed arefill element or elements for use, whereby the cleaning element of themop may readily be renewed. Another object is the provision of aremovable or refill element for such a mop.- Other objects will appearfrom time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a front elevation;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the lower portion of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a detail illustrating the refill; and

Figure 6 is a detail illustrating a slight variation of the device.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specificationand drawing.

Referring to the drawing, A generally indicates any suitable handlewhich may removably penetrate a socket B. The socket B is herein shownas terminating in a flattened stem 13 with a jaw end member B at the endthereof. Opposed to it is a second corresponding jaw member B the twobeing removably connected as by the screw 3* and thumb nut B The jawmembers are provided with opposedconcavities B each of which may bepenetrated by one or more positioning or securing lugs B".

C generally indicates the cleaning member proper which includes acentral staff or stem C which may be of cardboard, fiber or the like, orany other suitable material. It may be apertured as at C to conform tothe lugs B". Each end of the member 0 is provided with a roll of asuitable cleansing material C which may be of paper, fiber or any othersuitable substance preferably a substance which may be readily torn suchas paper. The rolls C are separated .by an intervening space 0* adaptedto permit the entry of the jaw members B B and their proper engagementof the member C D is a transverse securing member herein indicated as'arelatively thin sheet or blade of metal. Preferably the ends terminatewell within the ends of the rolls C The member D may be placed unitarilyagainst both; the rolls C as by the spring D which may be compressedbetween the member D and the abutment D on the socket B. The member Dmay be guided on a stem D which also passes through the lug D and isprovided with a manual handle D* whereby the member D may be upwardlywithdrawn away from the rolls C It will be notedthat the material ofwhich the roll C is formed reduces in width toward the interior of theroll, so that the surface of the roll which is in use always serves toprotect the edge of that portion of the roll which is inside.

E indicates'any suitable container for any oil or liquid medium whichmay be applied to the roll C I illustrate the container as removablymounted on a clip E which in turn is secured to the socket B. It will beunderstood that any suitable oil container may be employed and .1illustrate a container which may be manually removed by the operator formanual use. It will be understood, however, that a more or less fixedcontainer may be used with any suitable duct or extension whereby oilfrom the container may be delivered directly to the roll C withoutmanual intervention.

It will be realized that whereas I have described and shown a practicaland operative device, nevertheless many changes might be made in thesize, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from thespirit of my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawing tobe taken as in a broad sense illustrative and diagrammatic rather thanas limiting me to my specific showing.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

I find it desirable, in cleaning walls, floors, furniture and the like,to provide a mop which may be employed with a renewable cleaningelement, whereby after the cleaning element is exhausted it may bethrown away and a new one added. I therefore provide a plurality ofrolls C of paper, fiber or the like or any other suitable material,which rolls are mounted, preferably with a slight intervening space 0*,upon a single member C1. therefore forma unitary refill which may bereadily stored in bulk or shipped and which may be individually appliedto the jaws B B when the device is put into use or after previously usedmembers have been used up and thrown away. The lugs B penetrate theaperture C in the member C preventing rotation or endwise movement ofthe member C when the jaw elements B B are in the locked position inwhich they are shown in Figure 3. It may be of advantage to have lugs ofa particular and somewhat unusual'pattern or to have the jaws shapedotherwise than circular, so that the manufacturer of The two rolls andthe stem or the rolls 0 the rolls have soft ends which may abut againstand engage furniture, walls, floors and the like without marring orscratching. As above pointed out any suitable oil or cleaning medium maybe applied.

In use the member D holds the end of the paper or material of each rollC fixed against escape and also is sufficiently powerfully thrust by thespring D to lock the roll as a whole against rotation about the stem CIf desired,

. the roll C may be otherwise readily rotatable about the member C insuch fashion that the user by relieving the member D or drawing itupaway from the roll may then pull out the loose end of the roll andtear oil the dirty previously exposed portion and expose a new cleanportion. It is possible, although probably less convenient, in case therolls C are fixed against rotation in relation to thestem C to releasethe jaws B and B and rotate the refill as a whole.

For purposes of shipment the members A and B may be made separable, for.example formed with engaging screwthreads.

The container E may be employed for any desired oil or the like whichmay be applied to the mop or roll 0 In the use of the device it may beunderstood that diiferent types of material may be used for differentpurposes, or-that difierent lengths of roll C and member C may bedesired for different purposes. The manufacturer may therefore ship eachmop element with a plurality of refills of different character or fiberor material or of different length, all being equally readily usablewith the device and being readily removable therefrom.

It will be understood that the device may be used as a,hand mop bysimply detaching the handle A from the socket B. Any suitable connectionmay be employed, including for example screwthreading of the opposedmembers.

Whereas I have described the oil container E as attached to the clip Bit will be understood that a corresponding container may be insertedwithin the roll 0 as shown for example in Figure 1.

For some purposes it may be preferable to employ, instead of the singletransverse pressure member D a plurality of individual members, one foreach roll. Therefore in Figure 6 I illustrate a variant form in whichthe lug D is laterally extended to form a transverse member G therebeing two separate members G to direct pressure against the rolls C eachsuch member G having a separate guiding stem G with its handleCl andspring G I claim:

1. In combination, a handle, securing means at one end of said handle,and a mop element adapted to be held by said securing means, saidelement including a removable stem and a plurality of rolls of cleaningmaterial surrounding said stem, said rolls being closely adjacent onsaid stem and being positioned one on each side of said securing means,said securing means including jaw elements adapted to engage said stem,at a point between said rolls, said jaw elements being provided withpenetrating members, said stem being formed to conform to saidpenetrating members and to permit their penetration.

2. In combination, a handle, a rotatable cross piece on said handle, aplurality of individually removable cleaning members mounted on saidcross piece, eachof the cleaning members including a roll of cleaningmaterial, yielding means mounted on said handle, effective normally toprevent movement of said cleaning members, said yielding means includingan actuat-- ing spring, and a transverse blade adapted for simultaneousoperative contact with both cleaning members, and guiding means on saidhandle for guiding the movement of said blade toward and away from theroll, and an additional manual handle, asociated with said blade andoperable for its manual withdrawal along said guiding means and againstsaid spring.

3. In combination, a support, a roll of cleaning material removablymounted on said support, a

' handle for said support, a thrust member mounted on said handle andguiding means for said thrust member, effective toguide it toward andaway from the roll, said guiding means being mounted on said handle, andyielding means effective normally to urge said thrust member againstsaid roll of cleaning material and into holding contact therewith at apoint removed from the normal engagement of the outer surface of saidroll with the surface to be cleaned.

4. In combination, a support, a roll of cleaning material removablymounted on said support a handle for said support, a thrust membermounted on said handle and guiding means for said thrust member,effective to guide it toward and away from the roll, said guiding meansbeing mounted on said handle, and yielding means efiective normally tourge said thrust member against said roll of cleaning material and intoholding contact therewith at a point removed from the normal engagementof the outer surface of said roll with the surface to be cleaned,-

and a manually engageable withdrawing handle for said thrust member.

5. In combination, a support, a roll of cleaning material removablymounted on said support, a handle for said support, a thrust membermounted on said handle and guiding means for said thrust member,eifective to guide it toward and away from the roll, said guiding meansbeing mounted on said handle, and yielding means effective normally tourge said thrust member against said roll of cleaning material and intoholding contact therewith at a point removed from the normal engagementof the outer surface of said roll with the surface to be cleaned, saidroll extending outwardly beyond the ends of the support.

6. In combination, a support, a roll of cleaning material removablymounted on said support, a handle for said support, a thrust membermounted on said handle and guiding means for said thrust member,effective to guide it toward and away from the roll, said guiding meansbeing mounted on said handle, and yielding means effective normally tourge said thrust member against said roll of cleaning material and intoholding contact therewith at a pointremoved from the normal engagementof the outersurface of said roll With the surface to be cleaned, saidoll extending outwardly beyond the ends of the thrust member.

HESTER W. HUNTER.

